In Karthwasten, there is a bookseller named Aladoer who has come to The Reach looking for ancient Direnni manuscripts that are of interest to a merchant family of the Summerset Isles. He will offhandedly mention his search to the player, not having any real expectations that a lowly human could uncover the valuable tomes, but sees no harm in asking. He will warn the player not to read the book if they find one, as it is likely coded with dangerous enchantments (see below). The player can find a book in the Direnni tomb located in Karthwasten's underground passages and bring it to Aladoer for a reward.

Edit: Since posting this, I think it might be a fun idea to send the player on a scavenger hunt for more than one book - maybe finding three located in different ruins.

A Pocket Guide to The Empire and its environs, First Edition wrote:We might turn to Dylxexes, an early human scholar, for another answer. After studying the financial records of the Direnni Hegemony, a High Elven merchant family that exploited the human kingdoms of its day, he had this to say: "These [records] may help to explain why so much of Aldmeri literature is forbidden, scorned, or untranslated, for I have seen [their] like before. The Direnni were either exceedingly paranoid or their system of economy so inextricably linked with dangerous theosophist numeral-symbolism that much of what is recorded here requires... sorcerous precautions on the part of the reader. [Hidden magic] is everywhere incorporated in their writings... signs and preternatural runes and [correspondences]... in expenditure columns, even, or margins [that] can be fatal to the uninitiated. Crucial pages were covered with the spittle of the previous translator, who had babbled idiotically over the text for days before catching fire."

I think that Aladoer should have only a vague idea of the location of these books (i.e. "a tower not far from Karthwasten"), which will indeed send the player on a hunt through these ruins. One or two could be found in the untouched parts of Mirilstaren, the large ruin overlooking Karthwasten. Another could be found further northwest. One could even be found on the dusty bookshelves of a back alley obscure bookseller.

These books should have quite a large value on their own (1000 or more), and fetch a fitting reward. To counter this, they should be found in some of the more remote and hard to access areas of the ruins.

The books should be scripted so that when you pick up the book, you can choose to read it or just take it. What would be a fitting punishment for the player choosing to read the books? Permanent intelligence damage cobbled with a new Power fortifying conjuration for 120 secs or something like that.

I agree that Aladoer shouldn't know where the books are located, only that he can guess they can be found in certain ruins. He's a snooty bookseller and not an adventurer, so the player shouldn't expect much help from him.

There is already a 'direnni codex' in tarnwasel now, so placing another in Mirilstern would allow for 2 leads for Aladoer so far. We can add more to significant direnni ruins (there should be one languishing on a forgotten shelf in markarth or something) in the future.

<roerich> woah it's hot in here
<Lord Berandas> it must be Summer.
<Infragris> #hell is meant as a spam and off topic channel. Doing a great job already

I noticed that this quest is labeled as complete, but I'd like to add some feedback:
- The player always opens the book (and thus "reads" it), regardless of whether it is intended or not.
- No effects are applied to the player upon reading the Register.

I've made some suggestions below. There's now a prompt warning the player of possible consequences of reading the book. If the player does read it, then they're given a new Power and their Intelligence is decreased by 10 (???). The Messagebox text is mostly just off-the-cuff and can probably be improved depending on how much we want to warn the player about the effects of reading the Register.

Some issues:
- The new script works on vanilla MW, but not OpenMW. In the latter, the player can pick up the book and read it, but the "curse" won't be applied. The quest is still eligible for completion in OpenMW.
- There's a book ("Sky_iRE_kwtunnels_Direnni_book1") occupying the same space as the book with the script ("Sky_qRE_KW01_register01'") in "Karthwasten Caves, Tarnwasel Palace Ruins". It looks like the first one should be removed.
- The book "Sky_qRE_KW01_register01'" needs some kind of text added to it.

begin sky_qRe_KW01_Ala_Book1
; Modified from MWSFD 9 Sample book equip script
; Makes the Direnni Registers give arcane and warping effects once picked up
; Tarnwasel book
short actionFlag
short OnPCEquip
short PCSkipEquip
; book can be equipped at any time but player only gets cursed once
if ( actionFlag )
if ( player->GetSpell sky_qRe_KW01_Ala_Power == 0 )
Messagebox "You read the contents of the ancient book and learn a new spell, at the cost of some of your sanity." "Ok"
player->AddSpell sky_qRe_KW01_Ala_Power
player->ModIntelligence -10
endif
set actionFlag to 0
endif
; PCSkipEquip is set to 1 every time the book is equipped from your inventory
if ( PCSkipEquip )
set PCSkipEquip to 0
set actionFlag to 1
return
endif
; these lines are important, otherwise the book can't be picked up from the ground
if ( MenuMode )
return
endif
; need to disable the in-cell book and additem the player because
; there is no other way to pick it up without showing the pages
if ( OnActivate )
if ( player->GetSpell sky_qRe_KW01_Ala_Power == 0 )
Messagebox "You pick up the book, taking care not to open it. Its contents could be dangerous to an untrained reader." "Ok"
elseif ( player->GetSpell sky_qRe_KW01_Ala_Power)
Messagebox "You pick up the book." "Ok"
endif
player->AddItem "Sky_qRe_KW01_register01" 1
disable
return
endif
end